


The Invitation

by btobsparkles



Category: Apink, BTOB, BTOPINK
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:47:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26423602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/btobsparkles/pseuds/btobsparkles
Summary: He received an invitation to someone's wedding.
Kudos: 5





	1. The Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> This is a lame attempt to put this fic somewhere because I have grown attached to this one. If you want to drop curiouscats find me @changsubbinia on twitter.

2024

**February**

Changsub woke up with a monstrous migraine

“Oooh. You’re up.”

….a very loud, very unforgiving _Sungjae_ in his bedroom.

**“GOOD MORNING CHANGSUB HYUNG”**

It actually felt as if his eardrum had shattered.

“Word of advice!” Sungjae boomed, his usually friendly voice has turned Changsub’s voice into a jello.  
If you’re ever going to get plastered again, do us a favor and try to keep the Changsub shit-show inside your apartment!”

Changsub rolled over and tried to mentally _will_ his dongsaeng away. When _that_ didn’t magically work, he groaned and opened one eye blearily to see Sungjae standing at his bedside, looking very much like he’d just been _waiting_ to ruin Changsub’s morning. Knowing Sungjae, he was probably right.

“Good morning to you, too, _my beloved younger brother._ ” Changsub ground out, cotton-mouthed.

“Oh, it’s a great morning!” Sungjae said noisily. “In fact, it’s an even better morning that your drunk, _half-naked_ self isn’t all over Dispatch. You know?”

Changsub desperately wished his group had decided to send their kind leader Eunkwang instead. He could’ve been more sympathetic and non-judgmental and **so** much more _peaceful_. But of course, he got Sung- _will-voluntarily-give-him-a-smack-_ jae; acrid, sarcastic, no-nonsense Sungjae who could give them what they needed rather than what they wanted even as BTOB’s maknae.

And Sungjae apparently thought Changsub needed sunlight because he reached up and viciously yanked Changsub’s shade apart, violent streaks of white-hot rays burning his retinas. Changsub cursed him silently as he covered his eyes like a creature of the night. Sungjae was more amused than anything.

“Im assuming you’re cursing my whole being now—“

“And _all_ your future children, Yook Sungjae.” Changsub hissed

“—But look at this way,” Sungjae chirped, pouring lukewarm water into a cup “At least I’m not Minhyuk hyung.”

At the mention of now duly appointed Cube CEO along with Eunkwang. Changsub groaned.

“Ugh.” He opened a bleary eye, wincing at the light. “Did he have to step in last night?”

“No.” Sungjae pressed the water into Changsub’s hand, giving him an ibuprofen. “Peniel and Hyunsik hyung managed to keep it under wraps before Minhyuk and Eunkwang hyung came last night” He paused thoughtfully, “Well, _most_ of it. Ilhoon hyung had to give out some autographs and free chicken for your neighbors to hold them back from calling the cops.”

Changsub ran a hand down his face. “Oh g- _od”_

_“_ Did the hyungs said something last night?” Changsub said, gulping down the medicine.

‘I figured, we’re all collectively trying to….. _understand”_

Changsub could feel his pulse pounding in his head at Sungjae’s prolonged pause, knowing what was coming and wishing he hadn’t woken up at all.”

‘So…” Sungjae reached into his pocket and a familiar envelope skittered onto Changsub’s lap on the bed. “Are you ready to talk about _this_?”

Changsub stared at the gilded envelope, a little wrinkled and slightly dirtied, but otherwise intact and unopened. He took another swig of water wishing it was soju… or whiskey. God, he could go for some whiskey at the moment.

“I thought I got rid of that” He finally said after a moment.

‘You almost did.” Sungjae replied. “You got as far as setting a garbage can on fire on the rooftop before Hyunsik and Peniel hyung came in and tackled you.”

“Well, that’s rude.” Changsub scoffed. Sungjae grabbed the newspaper by his bedside and smacked him on his forehead.

“Hey! You are younger than me!” Changsub bantered.

“What was rude..” Sungjae said tersely. “Was you ripping your shirt off and _also_ setting it on fire as you yelled to the sky like you are King-freaking-Kong.”

Changsub snickered because, of course, he’d do something like that when he’s dead drunk. Sungjae don’t look nearly as amused though.

“Hnh.” Changsub muttered, rubbing the left side of his face where he could feel a tender bump forming on the leftside of his forehead. “I guess that explains my headache.”

‘’Actually that would be thanks to Peniel hyung.” Sungjae informed him.

“Peniel?” Changsub actually gathered up enough effort to lift his head. “Peniel couldn’t even hit the wasp he found on his car’s door handle”

“Well the wasp on his car’s door didn’t tell him to “Go away and mind his own ex problems” Sungjae said with accompanying finger quotations and Changsub groaned again, slamming his face into the pillow, wishing he could suffocate himself. “But, _hey_ , you did.” Sungjae smiled and went on enthusiastically. “Hence _you_ got knocked on your ass by the kid who still pulls over traffic to carry animals off the road.”

“ _Aish_ ” Changsub breathed and fell forward on his bad like a sad omelet of disgrace, trying to disappear on his own sheet.” He actually whined, “You’ve **got** to be kidding me. _Please_ tell me I didn’t really do that.”

‘I’d love to,” Sungjae chirped “But you were a bit of an angry asshole last night and we only managed to get you calm down after Peniel decked you so… it kind of worked out.”

Changsub rubbed a hand down to his face, feeling like crap in _every_ sense of the word.

“How pissed was he?’ He had to ask

“It’s Peniel hyung.” Sungjae said with a wry smile. ‘He apologized right after he punched you… then spent five minutes telling your unconscious body that he understood why you said those things, that he forgave you and hope you’d forgive him when you woke up.”

“God.” Changsub turned to his bedside drawer, looking for his phone. “I gotta call him”

“… yeah about that…” His faux-mother for today stretched, “We figured it would be best to keep your phone away from you during _this_ phase.” Sungjae held up his phone and wiggled it for a good thirty seconds “And don’t try to change the subject. I’ve got a schedule in a few hours so you only got to receive all these love and care until I have to leave.”

“What about we go fishing today huh?” Changsub said trying to brighten up his tone

Sungjae picked up a pillow and smacked Changsub in the face. “What did I say about changing the topic?”

Changsub rubbed his temple and randomly though that Peniel would’ve been a nicer option. Shin Donggeun wouldn’t try to smack him in the face…. _Wait. He did._

“Changsub hyung, I thought we talked about this.” Sungjae quietly said. Nodding at the envelope that seemed to weigh as much as the world on his bed. Changsub couldn’t quite meet his eyes. Sungjae might’ve technically four years younger than him, but his quiet maturity when needed always had a way of humbling him over the years.

Changsub took another sip of water instead of saying anything.

“I thought you guys were over.” Sungjae plowed on

Changsub stared outside the window, idly thinking that the day was so pretty today compared yesterday.

“I thought you both agreed that things were better now” Sungjae tried again

He picked at the dirt under his nails. Maybe he should get a manicure today?

Sungjae twisted his mouth at Changsub’s silence, pulling out his trump card.

“I thought you said that you were just friends”

At _that_ , Changsub actually raised his eyes almost defiantly at Sungjae and the latter thought. ‘ _He’s_ still so _predictable_ ’

“After all this time,” Changsub said soberly for the first time that morning, “I think we can all stop pretending like we were ever just friends”

And Sungjae thought it was funny because everyone in his life had just been passengers on Changsubs’s prolonged express ride down the river of denial. He didn’t laugh though. It wasn’t funny after all.

“I know. We—“ Sungjae corrected himself “We’ve always known she was… _special_ to you”

Changsub snorted

“But I... hoped that everything after that had happened, you two would have gotten over _this.”_

“There are many things that I’m not proud of myself. One of those was the last year of not contacting her because of merely a new suitor. It was all my fault.” Changsub said unknowingly, like a chunk of solid material is going down his throat. “I should get over this by myself only. Chorong is doing just fine.”

Changsub rubbed his face.

Not knowing what to say, Sungjae shoved him into the shower (“You smell like soju and sadness”) Changsub found a handful of scratches and bruises into his torso. “Hey, I thought I knocked out after Peniel hit me!”

“You did,” Sungjae called from the other side of the curtain. “But you were crazy drunk you’ve tried to do your boxing moves to us last night. Do you think Hyunsik hyung won’t do anything about it?” He laughed as Changsub cursed. “I’ve been blessed with abusive members” He lamented.

Going out of the washroom, he saw Sungjae wave the piece of envelop that made him into a living mess that he is now. “Eunkwang and Minhyuk hyung want to see us before my schedule today. They will drop by here” Sungjae said throwing him an extra towel. “Oh my god. I am dead _dead_.” Changsub groaned.

He wipes his face and faced Sungjae, Did Hallmark have “ **Im sorry I was a drunk moron. Please don’t kick me out of our group**. **I love you so much** ” cards?” They totally should. They could make a fortune selling those to idol groups.

Though knowing his group Changsub knows that he will be forgiven but not unscathed with the hyung line’s words. He sighed.

He went to his room to get clothes and he could smell food coming from his kitchen. Changsub pulled out sweatpants and a shirt before walking out to kitchen, finding Sungjae setting the table.

“Awww, that’s sweet of you” Changsub laughed “You didn’t have to get me lunch”

“I didn’t” Sungjae smirked, nodding at the living room. “ ** _They_** did” Turning, Changsub startled as he saw Minhyuk sitting on his couch. Unnoticed like a ninja. Eunkwang’s already doing his garbage for recycling on the other side of the kitchen.

“Sungjae’s going now. He has a schedule.” Minhyuk said in a business-like tone. “For now, eat your meal Changsub,” Eunkwang said seriously, Changsub groaned. He hated the fact that he didn’t call him _Changsubie._

 _I am screwed._ He thought.

“It’ll be fine” Sungjae whispered, shrugging his coat and giving him a sympathetic smile. He lightly tapped his cheek. “I am going hyung.”

As Sungjae walked to the door, he gave an exchanged glance with his hyungs which he recognizes as the look that BTOB member gives when one of them is acting like a complete idiot. It was a silent, universal gaze they all understood.

Minhyuk and Eunkwang let him get through a bite of a few lunch before finally speaking.

“Do you remember when I first caught you with Chorong?” Eunkwang said. He asked the question like he was recalling what he ate for dinner last Wednesday and Changsub choked on his rice. Minhyuk passed him a glass of water, unperturbed. Changsub glared at the both of them as he drinks.

_He was way too hungover for this conversation,_

“… I said that it wasn’t a big deal. We are friends; that it wasn’t going to be a problem” Changsub snorted at the memory. **_God_ , **he was stupid then. He pointed an accusatory finger at Eunkwang. “Hyung, you told me I was a fool”

“You were” Minhyuk said, eyes crinkling “Until now

“You didn’t stop me then. Did you?” The words were bitter when both of his hyungs started to laugh “You say that as if _any_ of us could stop you hanging out with Chorong.” Eunkwang said between chuckles, reminiscing.

“You’ve always been worried about scandals” Changsub quietly said chewing on his rice.

“No… because you had no idea how you looked at her every time. We can always throw scandals under the rag.”

Had he always been so _stupidly_ obvious?

“Ah but you have grown quite a bit since then”

“Hyungs, I can handle this by myself. I swear.” Changsub sighed.

“To be fair, if Sungjae had gotten you open this, we won’t drop by here,” Eunkwang said waving again the darned envelope within a handful length on his face.

‘’SERIOUSLY?” Changsub groaned “You guys are more obsessed with this stupid invitation than I am. Hyung, I don’t need a rotation of babysitters. I’m doing just fine.”

“Says the man who tried to burn it on his rooftop, shirtless and cursing the world.” Minhyuk said firmly “Stop the drama, we need to see you open this and knack senses into you.” Minhyuk said half smiling half scowling.

He had no choice.

Changsub held the invitation, enraged again.

“Nice font.” Minhyuk commented lightly, Eunkwang assessing the current bane of his existence just like a music sheet “And I like the glossy finish. Very eye-catching, don’t you think?” Eunkwang said as if they’re trying to get all the emotions he’s trying to suppress at the moment.

Unbidden, he picked up the few lines

 ** _Park Chorong_** and **_Nam Eric_**

_Your presence…._

**_August 19, 2024_ **

_…celebrate our love…_

“I think I know that church.” Minhyuk said lightly “It’s a little too big though, not at _all_ what I had pictured her getting married in.” Eunkwang chimed in.

“Im sorry hyungs, but both of you are acting like an asshole in front of me.” Changsub seethed

”And you’re an idiot.” Minhyuk said cheerfully. “What’s your point?”

Changsub stared at them for a good minute “Get out of my house, I need to be alone. I’m sorry.”

And then he buried his face into his hands.

“..I think you should go.” Eunkwang suggested after a moment. Changsub snapped his head up, surprised and a little affronted.

“ _Are you serious_?” He gritted out, barely suppressing a new wave of irritation.

“I am” Eunkwang said firmly. He relaxed a bit in his chair, leaning back and crossing his arms. “I also think it is for the best” Minhyuk said

“Oh my **God.** ” Changsub said dumbfounded. “You guys are actually serious”

“You know how people love the two of you.” Minhyuk said opening a can of soda “It would confirm that you two are really _just good **friend**_ **s** ”

Changsub scratched his head, irritated “I **really** hate that word today”

“It would be tricky….. right Minhyuk?” Eunkwang said scratching his chin

“I say… that’s a bit of understatement.” Minhyuk laughed.

“BUT…” Eunkwang continued anyway “It’s doable”

“You know what _else_ is doable?’’ Changsub gritted out “ **Me jumping off a cliff**. But like attending this wedding, I’m not stupid enough to do that either.”

“How poetic,” Minhyuk laughed a little maliciously. “You’re comparing Chorong with how you value your life” He leaned closely, his smile almost like a sneer “Does her marriage makes you lose life”

“I hate you both” Changsub declared and both of them shrugged.

“Let’s be honest” Eunkwang replied “The only person you actually hate right now is you”

Changsub stared at him for a moment, his vision getting blurry with anger

“Go away! Shove it up your chest and get lost! Both of you!” Changsub has lost it finally.

“Come on Changsub, what did you think was going to happen? It was meant that she’d find someone and get married. You’ve known how much you could give her.” Minhyuk bantered

“I don’t need to listen to your scolding today. I had enough.” Changsub said

“Don’t be angry at us for that matter. We are trying to support you.” Eunkwang said to him calmly

“I don’t want to hear any of this non-sense anymore” He said trying to calm down

“And don’t be angry at _HER_. It’s never her fault. The way she sent you this, even after a year of your inexistence to her life means something. Don’t be an asshole and be reasonable about it.” Minhyuk said losing his patience.

Eunkwang and Minhyuk looked at him for a moment and mentally sizing him before passing the small card and a pen. “You need to make a decision and we need to see it. You two had been friends for so long Changsub” Eunkwang said firmly

**PLEASE RSVP**

_ Mr. Lee Changsub _

__ _accepts with pleasure_

___declines with regret_

Changsub thought there should have been a third option “declines with pleasure” because that’s exactly what he wanted to do. It felt a bit like he would sign his soul away.

**PLEASE RSVP**

_ Mr. Lee Changsub _

X _accepts with pleasure_

___declines with regret_

He immediately thought he could haphazardly take it back. _Take it all back_ , but Eunkwang was already sealing the return envelope and tucking it inside his coat. “Just in case you feel like setting anything else on fire.” Minhyuk chuckled and he can’t help but chuckle a little too. That was the first resemblance of a sincere laugh ever since Chorong walked out of that very apartment.

(And in six months. Changsub will probably keep his word. So when he sees her again in August 2024. Changsub will not embarrass his company, his group, or himself. And most importantly, above all else, he will not embarrass **her** … even if every second of Park Chorong’s special day will make him want to fade away from existence.)


	2. Sometimes

**2024**

March

**Chorong dreams of him sometimes**

Tonight, he’s 23 years old and standing in the living room of their practice hall they initially met back in 2011. She knows this is a dream of a memory, that this was when she first arrived for practice and all btopink members scattered around, waiting to practice for this first joint performance. She looked around and saw _him._ There is Changsub goofing around in his colorful tees and snapback he’s obsessed back then. Looking so _young_.

 _“What do you think of men with tattoos?”_ He asks her, though Chorong knows it was someone else in real life who’d posed that question. She can’t remember who, but her dream self-answers the same as she did before, holding her chin, pretending to think. _“It depends. Maybe if the tattoo means really something. I personally think I want to have something I love inked, if I’m courageous enough in the future”_ She said

“What if it’s about you?” He asked seriously, he didn’t even flinch for a second

_It was the same feeling as she remembered back then. **Warm. Happy. Flustered**_

“Yeah sure. As if.” She answered avoiding eye contact.

His face breaks into a smile as he laughs his weird laugh, “ _Ah! Does that mean you’ll like it?”_

 _“Ah… No…”_ She finds herself saying, flustered. “It’s not like that…”

Changsub’s easy smile turns predatory as he walks towards her… and now he’s 23 years old and leaning a little too closely because they’re **_friends_** and he never paid her personal space any mind.

Suddenly Chorong found them inside his apartment, four years later. The night when he’s about to enlist. Everyone’s busy drinking but they found themselves in the particular corner again. Where they always talk for hours. Changsub, in his 27 year old form, starts trailing her hidden peach tattoo in her shoulder blades. “What does this mean?’ His eyes longing for answer, she couldn’t answer. In contrast with what really happened in reality, she answered “You.” Feeling her heart wildly pounding in her ribcage. This is the distorted alternate reality that maybe she’s pondering about.

“So.” He hums against her neck. **“Does that mean you like me?”**

And then suddenly they’re holding each other in a bright Sunday morning, lying side by side. Kissing her cheeks. She saw that wooden headboard that they’d carved their initials into. He stood up and stretched funnily, exposing all of his tattoos. He winked at her. “Don’t look too much.” He gave her an annoying laugh…. _She missed._

“ _It’s a dream”_ She mutters to herself as Changsub went back to approach her. Looking at her just like the night when he left for the army. The look of longing, he ran his hand along her bare shoulder, fingers skimming the exposed skin with a feather-light touch to her hidden tattoo mark.

“ _You are so beautiful, Chorong_

He’s said the words so many times that she’s committed his voice into her memory, the sound becoming as instinctual to her as _remembering how to breath_ e. She cups his face, admiring the jaw-line she’s kissed in corners when no one was looking and she whispers

“ _I love you Changsub”_

He smiles at her with her favorite eye-smile and precariously hung sheets fall away completely as he rolls over, kissing her as if he’d done this a hundred times before

**_’’And I love you… so much”_ **

But Chorong’s subconscious knows that _this_ Changsub (This version of Changsub in her dreams) had _never_ said those words when they were together then. And that same familiar voice she knows so, _so_ well becomes _muffled_ , distorting and **twisting** in her mind’s ears because it doesn’t **know** _how_ he would’ve said the words to her.

So when he pulls away, she snapped back to reality. Only to find her phone buzzing the name of her _fiancé. **ERIC.**_ Her Nam Eric. Her soon to be husband who _has_ told her a million times before how much he loves her. She blinked and felt the passionate youth dream fade away in the background until it becomes the plain room of their newly wed house they have purchased which she’s currently staying at.

She feels sick and heady and reminds herself again. “ _It’s just a dream. **It’s just a dream.**_

She opened her phone and found Eric smiling on her wallpaper, a message came saying

**_“You love me so much right? :)_ **

(She hears a faint sound of glass breaking in the distance)

Chorong wakes up at 2AM. In the darkness she could make out the bedside table and the faint and unmistakable glint of the golden engagement band she’d left on its surface.

She thinks of Lee Changsub and Park Chorong at 23 years of age, scratching the names into the varnish of a wooded headboard in their one Seoul shopping trip, and she buries herself into a hallow embrace, wondering, as she’d been doing often if she’d made the right choice.


	3. Nice to meet you

2014

**May**

Eric’s tension was relieved quite a bit when he heard that he’s partnering up with one member of BTOB. “It was nice to meet you.” Changsub had said on his first day as a guest MC at Inkigayo. He was indeed kind, as expected from the bunch. “Feel free to come to our waiting room whenever you want.” He gave him a sincere smile upon shaking hands.

Eric took up that offer, as an **almost one year old artist from a foreign country that is curious about everything.** He also wants to see the legendary BTOB waiting room everyone’s trying to _avoid_.

Eric didn’t think of anything about it when the door that had “BTOB’’ written on it wasn’t quite closed, barely opened by a crack, that he simply pushed open, he called “Changs—“

Eric has stopped short.

See, he had known that Apink is coming to promote their new summer single, but he was a little disconcerted and extremely surprised to see one of them in that particular room with Changsub…. alone.

Park Chorong was sitting closely beside him, their heads bent together, alternatively smiling, laughing at whatever they were looking at Changsub’s phone. Changsub’s jacket lay across Chorong’s lap, covering the length of leg that her short skirt failed to cover up. Changsub glanced at her every so often when she wasn’t paying attention and Chorong’s hand sat idly on his thigh like it wasn’t a big deal.

Eric was aware that they were _close_ (whatever _that_ implied) but they couldn’t help but scoff at the sight because _some_ celebrities (cough **cough** ) went to extreme lengths to hide their relationships, while these two kids were sitting so closely where anyone could see them, knees knocking, her hair partially draped over his shoulder, his coat covering her legs, like they were practically begging to be caught.

Eric rapped on the doorway because they were so engrossed at what they were looking at that they hadn’t initially noticed him.

“Oh!” Chorong smiled, “Hello!”

“Hey,” Changsub greeted him then glanced at his watch. “Is it time to go out already?”

“….Ah yeah,” Eric had said, a little confused as to why they weren’t scrambling to create some distance between them as he’d expected. “They had to adjust our schedule so we’re due on stage in a few minutes.”

Chorong promptly hopped off her seat, he noticed how beautiful her face was when making that small smile “I’ll let you guys get to work then!”

She handed Changsub his jacket as if this was a regular occurrence and their smiles were innocent, expressions calmly composed and Eric idly wondered, much like too many people often did those days, if there was even _anything_ to catch between Changsub and Chorong, in the first place.

(There wasn’t. And it seems okay) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leaving no commitment to update this fic because I don't have time and it really takes a toll on my emotional health. You see, the characters here are pieces of me. They're imperfect but they are learning. If you are reading this, thank you for your time. Leaving a comment is greatly appreciated, sometimes a review fuels my will to write to be honest. Anyway, I'm talking too much.


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